Stay With Me?
by ecciri
Summary: "Will you continue to stay with me?" Chang'e's eyes widened. Then, she smiled a smile so bright, it was as if you were surrounded by twinkling stars. "Of course, Harith!" An enchanted meeting between a Moon Immortal and a Leonin prodigy. (and a bunny). [Chang'e x Harith] Rating may move up.
1. Chapter 1: Chang'e

Chang'e

When Chang'e was a young child of about five years old, she chanced upon the Great Dragon while making mischief.

It was a minor and childish prank, really. Chang'e had climbed on to the roof of a hut, directly above the crowded marketplace, and then stuck her hands out, palms facing the people below. Then, a glimmer of stardust.

The shimmering dust fell from her hands and down to the bustling marketplace. The civilians milling about were suddenly struck with an insane urge to sneeze. Chang'e had giggled softly to herself when she heard the sounds of people sneezing and coughing.

The Great Dragon was watching this display from afar, yet he could feel the power the slight little girl held, locked away inside her. He made a quick decision. The Great Dragon flickered to the roof Chang'e was lying on and tapped her shoulder. That was how Chang'e became the youngest disciple of the Great Dragon.

That was also how Chang'e became the biggest headache in the Moon Palace. She displayed an astonishing aptitude for magic and quickly exceeded the Great Dragon's expectations. Chang'e never went to the Land of Dawn's magic academy as he knew her talents would not flourish there.

The greatest shock was when Chang'e mastered the Great Dragon's greatest spell — the Sacred Satellite at the age of seven, two years after being taken under his wing.

Over time, Chang'e's bright and fun-loving personality warmed the Great Dragon's heart and he began to think of her as family: as a daughter, or granddaughter. However, her mischievous nature and tendency to prank any living being led to many headaches and destruction of property in the Moon Palace.

The Great Dragon thought that enough was enough. He decided that he was too old for all the heart attacks Chang'e was giving him. So, he enlisted the help of Zilong, his adopted son, in hopes that his serious and determined nature could guide Chang'e.

...

"Hi, mister! Let's play together!" Chang'e giggled, beaming up at Zilong.

The very moment Zilong laid his eyes on Chang'e, seeing her innocent smile and mischievous eyes, he knew that he would protect her until the day he died. She was his one and only little sister, and he would protect her, cherish her, forever.

During his days of military leave, Zilong helped Chang'e develop her magical abilities. He doted on her and sat with her under the bright sun of the Land of Dawn, among the lush, green, grass of the Moon Palace's garden. There, Chang'e would practice generating energy balls and stardust, creating one of her signature skills 'Starmoon Shockwave'.

During one of Zilong's trips through space and time to fight in the Plane War, he came across a Moon Rabbit. The Moon Rabbit reminded him of his little sister — innocent, adorable, and fun-loving — and he also hoped that she would discover the strength of the divine rabbit and improve her magic through it. He brought the Moon Rabbit back to the Moon Palace after the battle and presented the rabbit to Chang'e.

Chang'e gasped with delight. "A bunny! He's adorable! I love him!" she gingerly took the Moon Rabbit into her hands and cuddled the rabbit to her chest. "I'll take very very good care of him, brother!"

"Promise?" Zilong teased.

Chang'e rolled her eyes good-naturedly. "Yes, yes. I promise!"

Chang'e named the rabbit "Carrots" after she found it had snuck into the palace kitchen's supply of carrots. It had stolen away five carrot sticks by the time it was found. "One, two, three, four, five. Wow, look at all these carrots!" Chang'e exclaimed.

Zilong poked her forehead, saying, "you shouldn't be encouraging that little rascal."

Chang'e only stuck her tongue out at him, which her brother took as an invitation to pinch, leaving Chang'e glaring at him.

Eventually, the happy and carefree days had to end. The second War of the Planes was upon them. Zilong had to leave to aid in the war efforts, leaving Chang'e at the Moon Palace.

"Goodbye, little sister. We will see each other again soon. I swear by my honour." Zilong curled his right hand into a fist and brought it across to his chest. The universal gesture of a pledge. Chang'e blinked back tears and copied her brother's gesture. She was a big girl now, and big girls don't cry.

"Take care, big brother."

Zilong's absence left Chang'e in a state of misery. Zilong had been her greatest source of joy in the palace, and the Great Dragon had forbidden her from leaving the palace.

"You are much too young, only thirteen years old. I cannot bear to see you hurt. Furthermore, I shudder to see what destruction you would bring with your naughty tricks! Goodness knows how much of the palace you have destroyed already in your mischief!" the Great Dragon muttered the last sentence under his breath.

Chang'e wanted to yell that she had been living as a street rat until he took her in, but she knew no good would come out of arguing with her master.

She continued to cause mischief and mayhem within the palace as an act of rebellion. However, Chang'e went out of line.

One day, Chang'e and Carrots stole into the Great Dragon's supply of his sacred pills and devoured a handful of them, believing it was candy. The Great Dragon was livid. He banished the Moon Rabbit out of the Moon Palace and ordered for Chang'e to be locked away in her room. However, Carrots refused to leave, even biting the Great Dragon when he tried to touch him, further inciting the Great Dragon's anger.

In a fit of rage, the Great Dragon roared, "I will punish you for your impudence by taking your life!"

A cold grip seized Chang'e's heart. She'd promised! She would not let Carrots die. She would not let her big brother down. She thrust her hand out towards her master, sending a Starmoon Shockwave towards him. When her master leapt away from the attack, she rushed towards Carrots and scooped him up, in which he promptly buried himself into her embrace, little body trembling in fear.

Chang'e could feel the Great Dragon's anger pouring off him in waves, his magic crackling around him. A sharp 'crack!' echoed through the compound. Where her master once stood, in his place was a menacing white dragon, claws sharp and glinting in the sunlight.

In the face of such power, Chang'e fell to her knees, pleading tearfully, "Please don't kill Carrots! I'll take Carrots and myself away from here, just don't kill him!"

The Great Dragon could not stand to see Chang'e looking so afraid and upset. Especially of him. The sight of her tear-streaked face and fearful eyes made him feel as if a great hammer had ploughed into him, knocking the wind out of him.

The Great Dragon let out a heavy sigh, his rage forgotten. He said, "Child… Find your brother Zilong and assist him in battle. I am extremely proud to call you my little disciple… and my daughter. Take this gift before you go. It is a precious memento my mother left me. It will protect you. Now go, my daughter, before I change my mind."

Clutching the Crescent Moon to her chest and with Carrots perched on her delicate shoulders, Chang'e bowed one last time to her father before she turned and fled with tears streaming down her cherub cheeks.

Wait for me, big brother.

...

**A/N:** This was written for the MLBB contest on Webnovel. Alternatively, you can head over to Webnovel if that platform suits you better... Sorry to those fans of Stupefaction but you might have to wait till 2020 for any updates. I have a super important exam this year and may not have a lot of time to write. This goes for any new chapters for Stay With Me too. Sorry guys ):


	2. Chapter 2: Roger's Coming

Roger's Coming

Fourteen-year-old Chang'e is… slightly lost. Just slightly. She wasn't even sure how she came to be in the middle of a desert.

'I should have thought of a plan before leaving the capital,' she groaned, mentally berating herself for her short-sightedness.

Chang'e had alternated between walking and flying for days with Carrots and her Crescent Moon as her only two companions. It was awfully boring to hold a conversation with herself, and she was getting weary from the long journey with the Land of Dawn's sun belting waves of heat onto her back, making it stifling for her to remain in her dress. Carrots had even taken to rolling himself on the sand in an attempt to cool down but the sand was no help.

Without realising, she had come to the edge of a forest. A gut feeling — bunny instincts? — told her that something important lay within the forest.

Chang'e exhaled softly. "Well, Carrots? Should we go into this forest?" she stroked Carrots' ears affectionately. Carrots immediately nuzzled into her hand, his soft white furs tickling Chang'e.

"I'll take that as a yes. We probably can't get anymore lost."

With that, the duo floated into the forest.

"You know, Carrots, I'm a bit confused," Chang'e began, "are forests and deserts supposed to be beside each other?" she mused, thin eyebrows furrowed in thought.

Carrots flicked his ears up and sideways.

"I guess you don't know either, huh?"

As they continued to wander the forest aimlessly, the sunlight that had previously lit up the forest through the gaps in the trees began to fade away, turning the forest darker.

Chang'e stilled to a stop when she realised that she could barely see three feet in front of her. The sound of birds chirping had completely stopped. The forest was still and silent. It was as if time had stopped for everyone except her. And Carrots, of course.

She didn't like this. At all. She hated being in the dark, not knowing if something was lurking somewhere; not knowing if something was going to attack her.

How did she not realise that she was going deeper into the forest, where even sunlight may not reach? What even was the time? She couldn't have been in the forest for that long, right?

"C-carrots, what do we do now?" Chang'e whispered, her fingers trembling as she ran them through Carrots' fur.

A howl shattered the deafening silence in the forest. Chang'e gasped. "Carrots! There's a werewolf in the forest!"

She needed to run. She needed to get away from the werewolf. She needed to get out of this forest. Coming in here was a mistake.

Chang'e channeled her mana into the Crescent Moon and activated her skill 'Crescent Moon' to speed up her movement speed. Holding onto Carrots tightly, she flew as fast as she could, the wind whipping her hair in her face from her speed.

The full moon shone ominously, the moonlight providing meagre light for her to see. Chang'e zigzagged through the forest, hoping to find the exit to the forest before the werewolf finds them.

A low guttural snarl was all her warning before a large creature pounced onto her, its golden claws ripping the sleeves of her dress but thankfully not her flesh. The shield bestowed upon her by the Crescent Moon helped deter most of the werewolf's attack, but the werewolf was strong. In that one strike, her shield was broken. Quickly generating another shield, she continued to put as much distance between them as possible.

A layer of stardust covered her hands and meteors shot out towards the werewolf, pelting it and dealing damage to it. However, that only made the wolf angrier. Its red and bloodthirsty eyes gleamed in the dark, with Chang'e and Carrots' frightened figures reflected in its eyes.

Chang'e hiccuped in fear at the werewolf's gleaming gold claw gauntlets. Carrots burrowed deeper into her arms, little body trembling with fear. This snapped Chang'e out of her fear. She shot as many skills at the werewolf as possible, slowing it down and injuring it as much as possible.

But the werewolf was stronger. In a matter of seconds, it caught up to her. Fear and adrenaline pushed her to fly faster, but her mana was running dangerously low and she only had enough to generate one shield. The werewolf probably knew this too, as it opted to stalk towards her instead of leaping at her.

"I'm sorry, big brother," Chang'e sobbed.

"DODGE!"

A flash blue lit up the forest floor. The new voice belonged to a boy with cat-like ears and tail. He wore a ferocious expression on his face as he kicked the werewolf across the face before flipping and landing on the ground.

He flickered about the glowing blue cross on the grass, attacking the werewolf with magic and phantoms of himself. The werewolf let out an enraged howl and tried to leap forward and swipe at the boy, but the cross at its feet slowed him down considerably, allowing the boy to dodge to the side, away from the claws.

The agile boy with feline features turned towards Chang'e and grabbed her hand. He dashed forward, bringing Chang'e along with his skill.

"We need to get as far away from the werewolf as possible. My dash has a cool down so just keeping running — err, flying — but I'll grab you so we can dash forward and cover more distance when the cool down ends," he says.

Chang'e bit her lips and nodded. Together, they sprinted away from the werewolf, with occasional bursts of blue and stardust lighting up the dark forest.

At one point, Chang'e glanced back behind her, only to see gleaming red eyes and fangs, and she shrieked. "Quick, run! Roger's coming!"

Harith cursed and slammed a hand down, creating the multi-dimensional rift again, effectively slowing the werewolf down. They took advantage of his reduced speed to dart away, running towards the now visible opening between the trees.

The exit.

With one last dash, they were out at last from that nightmare of a forest.

The two continued to run until they were well away from the forest. Only then did they slow to a stop. The white-haired boy fell onto his back on the sand, his breathing haggard, and placed a hand on his forehead.

"Thank you for saving me!" Chang'e blurted out. She hugged Carrots close to her body for reassurance. They were alive! Chang'e had never felt more relieved.

The boy raised his hand up, cutting her off just as she began to speak. There was a pause as Chang'e waited patiently for the boy to catch his breath.

"I'm Harith. Who are you?"

"Who am I? My name is Chang'e, the Moon Palace Immortal," Chang'e introduced herself with a smile. She dipped into a small curtsey, which Harith did not return.

"The what?" Harith blinked in confusion. He waved Chang'e off as she opened her mouth to speak, interrupting her yet again. "Nevermind, I don't really want to know. Let's just head towards the nearest town. You look like you're in need of a shower desperately."

"Both of us do, actually," he amended.

Chang'e gaped at his audacity to interrupt her. He didn't even return her curtsey! Had he no manners? She fumed silently as she floated to follow him.

"Hey, Chang'e right?" Harith glances at Chang'e with a small grin. "Tell me about yourself. We're in for a pretty long walk so let's trade stories. I'll go first."

The two chatted amiably as they headed towards the nearest village. Well, Harith led the way while Chang'e followed.

It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.


	3. Chapter 3: Crescent Moon

Crescent Moon

"What? You left your home willingly? But why?" Chang'e gaped, staring at her white-haired companion in bewilderment.

Harith nodded. "Well, magic is my life. I've been able to do magic since I was born. I remember my mother telling me that the moment I was born, I had cried and created a burst of purple-blue magic," he says. "But the people in my village — in the Enchanted Forest — didn't think the same way.

"They began to stagnate — in magic, I mean. My people, the Leonins, were content with what they had and believed that no danger would ever come to them. Thus, the practice of the magical arts began to slow and decline."

"The magic academy was out of syllabus, always using old magic tricks and never inventing newer and better skills. Always, always, always staying the same, never changing."

"Through the years, I rose through the ranks of the magic academy very quickly, and soon enough at twelve years old I had become the most powerful mage among the Leonins."

Harith let out a sigh. Crossing his hands behind his head, he continued, "I couldn't stay in the village. Not if they continued to waste away their magic. So, when I finally mastered the three skills I created, I left the Enchanted Forest for the first time ever at the age of fifteen."

Harith paused in thought before he hummed, "I guess it's because I've never been anywhere but the Enchanted Forest that I got lost and somehow stumbled upon you and that absolutely crazy werewolf."

Chang'e giggled. Harith got lost too! For someone who carried himself with such an air of confidence and a touch of arrogance, him admitting that he lost his way was amusing to her.

Upon hearing her laughter, Harith scowled. "What's so funny?" he demanded. "You got lost too, you know. Pot calling the kettle black and all that. In fact, you should be grovelling at my feet, thanking me for saving your sad, sad life. Like this."

Harith got down on both knees into a seiza position and started waving his hands around while bobbing up and down.

"Pft — " Chang'e couldn't help it. His actions were stupidly entertaining and he looked so much like a pigeon doing that. Peals of laughter tumbled from her small rosy lips, and she nearly slipped off her Crescent Moon with how hard she was laughing.

Meanwhile, the Harith's laughter faded away when he stared enraptured by Chang'e. When Chang'e laughed, it sounded like a donkey's bray. But her laugh wasn't why his attention was caught.

No, it was the way the sunlight caught in her brown hair, turning it a shade of brown, red, orange and gold, much like the colourful leaves of autumn.

It was the way her smile lit up her entire face, making her seem ten times lovelier. It was the way the corners of her eyes crinkled and her eyes curved into little crescent moons until you could barely see their honey-brown colour.

It was the way she laughed and smiled and showed her happiness wholeheartedly on her face that she was practically glowing; he was captivated.

Then the moment ended when Carrots flicked his ears across Harith's face, effectively snapping him out of his… observation. Yes, he thought to himself, he was just observing the way she laughed and smiled and her eyes and—

He really needed to stop thinking about this.

Chang'e's laughs died down after a while but a small smile still remained on her lips.

"You're pretty funny, you know," she tells Harith with a little bunny grin. Harith rolled his eyes and motioned for her to continue walking.

"Annoying kid," he mutters under his breath without any real heat.

Chang'e slapped his arm in mock anger and said pompously, "I'm amazing and you know it. Just admit it Harith. You're no match for my awesomenessness."

Harith arched an eyebrow at Chang'e. "Uh huh, right. How could I forget? Clearly, you are the most superior in the entire Land of Dawn. Forgive me for my insolence, your majesty!" Saying this, Harith clasped his hands together and batted his eyes at Chang'e. This time, it was Chang'e who rolled her eyes at his ridiculous antics.

"Also, awesomenessness isn't a word," Harith smirked at Chang'e. "Who's the most superior now? Me, of course."

Chang'e huffed in annoyance. "Let's just get going already. We've been walking for hours and played so many rounds of twenty questions, yet there's not a single village or even a hut in sight. Are you sure you know where you're going?" Chang'e glared suspiciously at Harith.

Said feline boy facepalmed himself. "We've been walking for hours, and you only ask now?" Harith looked incredulously at Chang'e. Even Carrots expressed his disappointment by looking very unamusedly at his mistress and tapping his legs in annoyance.

Chang'e at least had the decency to look embarrassed. "W-well sorry! In case you forgot, we were literally just running for our lives a few hours ago, trying to not get ripped into shreds by Roger the werewolf so forgive me for not having a clear enough mind to think logically of our next step." Chang'e harrumphed indignantly.

Both Carrots and Harith continued to stare at Chang'e with an unchanging sceptical expression. Seeing this, Chang'e threw up her arms in exasperation.

"I give up! There's no point arguing or trying to defend myself. Can we just get a move on already? I really, really, need a nice hot soak in a hot tub."

Harith sighed for the third time. "That's what I've been saying all the while but you didn't listen."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already." Chang'e brushed off his complaints easily. The twenty rounds of twenty questions helped tremendously in letting them get to know each other so well in less than a day. Of course, the near-death experience helped too, but let's think of happier thoughts.

Hours went by and the blazing sun began to set. The clouds blocked the sun's rays, turning the sky darker and it gradually became to look like a painting of orange, pink, blue and purple all blended perfectly together.

By the time they found a village, the sky had completely set and the stars were up and twinkling in the night sky.

The pair were too exhausted to hold a conversation out loud. Instead, they wordlessly communicated to immediately head for an inn where they could have a much-needed shower and then go to bed.

"One room, two single beds please." Harith yawned. As if taking pity on their exhaustion, the receptionist quickly handed Harith the room keys and bid them a good night.

Chang'e was so worn-out that she fell asleep in the bathtub, only to jerk awake when another guest pounded on the door for her to "hurry up and get out! I need a shower too!"

By the time the two of them had showered, they were practically dragging themselves into bed. The moment their heads touched their pillows, they fell into a deep slumber.

Harith was the first to wake up with the rising sun. Since he was young, he was told to wake up when the sun did to attend the magic academy or practice his magic. The Leonins didn't do that anymore, though. Now they woke up anytime they wanted to.

Rubbing away any traces of sleep, Harith leapt out of bed and began rummaging through his satchel for his morning essentials. Chang'e, on the other hand, was still in a deep sleep along with Carrots. She was hugging Carrots close to her body while her Crescent Moon laid upright at her bedside. Harith thought that her sleeping face was adorable.

Frowning at the strange thought, he decided that he was clearly not awake enough and set off to the bathroom to freshen up.

When Chang'e had finally woken up, Harith was back in the room. He was drumming his fingers absently on the window sill, staring out the window lost in his thoughts. He snapped out of his reverie when Chang'e let out a contented sigh after stretching.

"Go freshen up. The inn head said that breakfast would be served soon," Harith said. "You too, Carrots."

Said Moon Rabbit had leapt up onto Chang'e's delicate shoulders after she had finished stretching. Chang'e and Carrots made their way to the bathroom, leaving Harith alone in the room. With the Crescent Moon.

"It's just me and you, buddy," Harith grins to himself. Even from a distance, he could feel the magic thrumming through the Crescent Moon. Harith was very curious about the magical object Chang'e always brought with her.

Giving in to his curiosity, Harith walked to the Crescent Moon and leaned in to inspect it. The Crescent Moon had carvings of gold wrapping around the lower body and the two ends of the Crescent Moon seemed to glow faintly with magic. The amount of power held in that magical object was enough to get anyone high on magic.

Harith couldn't help himself. Somehow, he found himself reaching out a hand to the Crescent Moon, wanting to touch the magical object. The tips of his fingers brushed the object for a brief second and he could feel the magic on his fingers—

The door to the room burst open.

"HARITH! The head of the inn is sososososo nice! She gave me a free — what are you doing?" Chang'e furrowed her brows in suspicion at Harith. Harith who was currently pressing his hands to his chest and staring wide-eyed at Chang'e. She noticed his tail was standing up straight.

"What is it? Why are you acting so weird?" Chang'e took a step back towards the door. "Why are you looking at me like that? Do I need to step out so that I don't get infected by your weirdness?" Chang'e crossed her arms defensively. Carrots copied her actions.

Harith shook his head. "No. No, it's fine. I'm fine. We're fine. Yep. Fine."

Chang'e wasn't convinced but she stepped back into the room either way, still eyeing Harith strangely.

Harith ran a hand through his hair and let out a huff. Then, he pointed accusingly at her Crescent Moon. "What," he began, "Is that? I literally brushed the thing with my fingers and was almost overloaded with magic!"

Chang'e raised an eyebrow. "Who said you could touch my things?"

"That's not the point!" Harith groaned.

"Well, the Crescent Moon is a divine magical object. Of course, it would be crazy powerful," she emphasised the word 'divine'.

Glowering at Chang'e for not exactly answering his question, he began to pack his things back into his satchel.

"Wait, are we leaving already?" Chang'e asked.

"Yeah. I want to reach the capital of the Land of Dawn as quickly as possible. I'm going to join the army. The human one, that is." Harith said as he continued to pack.

"Oh… I'm actually looking for my brother Zilong. I was supposed to assist him in his battles when my master sent me away…" Chang'e trailed off, suddenly thinking of how much she missed the Great Dragon who was like a father to her. So what if he sent her away? She still missed that great oaf of a master.

"He sent you away? Why?" Harith asked, puzzled. "Also, why would he ask you to fight? Aren't you too young?"

Chang'e sighed. "It's a long story which I can tell you while we make our way to the capital. But for your information, I'm plenty old enough. Also, I'm immortal. I say I'm fourteen years old as of now, but I'm actually a hundred and fourteen. Which is technically teenage years for an immortal." Chang'e explained. "It's complicated."

"Of course it is," Harith mumbled sarcastically. Chang'e pretended not to hear him. Instead, she scooped up the room keys and her Crescent Moon and headed out the door.

"I'll return the keys first and meet you downstairs outside the inn. If you take too long, I'm leaving without you." With a swish of her robes, she disappeared down the hall.

Harith hurriedly packed up, unwilling to be left behind. He slung his satchel across his back and dashed down the stairs.

Chang'e was already out the entrance of the inn by the time he arrived.

"Ready?" Harith grinned at Chang'e.

Chang'e smirked at Harith. "Been ready before you. Catch up if you can!" With a laugh, she sped away, flinging magic dust into the Leonin's eyes.

"Hey, that's cheating!" With a burst of speed, the Leonin dashed after the Moon Palace Immortal.

With that, the two of them began the trek to the Land of Dawn's capital.


	4. Chapter 4: The Street Rat

The Street Rat

Carrots was not a happy bunny.

Not. At. All.

First, his human just had to get attacked by a bloodthirsty werewolf. Then, this cat-boy with a stupid tail appeared from nowhere and decided to join them. Carrots was thankful to him for saving his human, but he was supposed to leave after saving her. Not join them like they were going for some lovely tea session.

Yet, there he is. Chatting up his human. Carrots threw the Leonin boy a mildly disgusted glance. The nerve of the boy… chatting up his human! Disgusting. Disgraceful, even. Utterly disgraceful. Carrots began to plot ways to get rid of the tag along. His human will not be tainted by this boy.

Said soon-to-be-victim felt a shiver run up and down his spine. Harith glanced around in confusion, wondering what had caused this reaction. He got the feeling that he didn't really want to know.

The three of them had been travelling for two days and are currently in the third village since the werewolf incident. Harith would say that they had about a quarter more to travel before they would reach the capital. Currently, they were walking around the village's marketplace, looking to stock up on supplies for the journey.

The immortal at his side remained oblivious to both his confusion and Carrots' hostility. Instead, she was daydreaming. You may be thinking: daydreaming of what? Well, she was imagining herself arriving back home to the Moon Palace, the handmaidens and servants welcoming her home with tears of joy. She imagined her master, the Great Dragon, gruffly greeting her and ruffling her hair affectionately, forgiving her and Carrots for their inexcusable actions.

She was so caught up in her daydreams that she did not notice Harith coming to a stop and collided against his back.

"Oof — " Chang'e stumbled backwards and frowned up at Harith. "What is it? Why'd you stop?" Chang'e and Carrots peered out from behind his back to see what had caused him to stop so abruptly in his tracks.

Ahead of them was a crowd of people blocking the entire pathway of the cobble-stoned street. The most unnerving thing was that they were silent. Completely silent.

Harith and Chang'e exchanged looks and nodded. Seeing as how they were obviously too short to see what was going on, they leapt up onto the roof of a one-story building to observe the situation.

In the centre of the crowd was a young boy of about eight years old. Even from a distance, the boy's injuries could be seen as clear as day. His brown hair was matted with dirt and blood, a cut ran down his lips and his cheeks were bruised, taking on a greenish hue that was gradually turning darker.

From the way he was holding his ribs, it was clear that his ribs are probably at best bruised and at worst cracked or broken. His loose clothing made it difficult to see exactly how hurt he was, but he was evidently malnourished from the way his skin clung to his bones and the lack of baby fat a boy his age should still have.

Chang'e gasped in horror when a middle-aged man brutally punched the little boy across the face, a loud 'crack' resounding through the silent marketplace.

From her side, she could feel Harith's magic steadily rising and seeping through his body caused by his murderous intent. How could that man hurt a small, innocent child? How could the crowd condone this cruel behaviour?

Harith's magic was now crackling blue around him, making Chang'e's and Carrots' hair — or fur, in Carrots' case — stand on their ends. His rising anger could obviously be felt by the people, seeing as how they stiffened and started to tremble minutely.

From this show of power, Chang'e could clearly see how Harith had managed to surpass his entire Leonin race in magical abilities.

He was very powerful. Very powerful. The scary thing was, Chang'e knew that he had more power than what she could feel right now. She could sense that there was more magic he kept locked away inside himself. The magic that was pouring off him in waves was very much deliberate to instil fear in the people and he was perfectly in control of his magic.

That is, until the man that had punched the young boy snapped out of his fear and dug a foot viciously into the small boy's ribs. The ribs he was holding in pain.

The little boy cried out in anguish, curling himself into a ball in an attempt to protect himself from the man's abuse. The man grinned a cruel, satisfied smirk, revealing yellowed and chipped teeth. His face was of pure glee, revelling in the pain he caused.

That bastard! He had the gall to be proud of his barbaric actions, not even showing a hint of remorse. And the boy was just a child! Not a day over ten years old.

That was the last straw. Harith's magic flared up. Blue sparks of magic jumped around his body and the raw power he emitted caused the villagers to freeze in fear. Even Chang'e felt afraid of him. But the anger she felt towards that middle-aged man overrided her fear.

Without thinking, Chang'e sent a wave of bubbles towards the man, prompting him to scramble backwards to avoid the attack. The two of them, plus Carrots, jumped down to the centre of the crowd and stood protectively in front of the battered and bruised little boy.

The man sneered at them but his eyes and body language showed his true feelings: he was deathly afraid. As he should be, Harith thought derisively. In fact, the one who should be the most afraid should be the child.

"Th—that boy over there is a thief! He's a pathetic street rat that keeps stealing the food from our stalls and he lies that he didn't steal it! A liar, a thief and a street rat. He deserved this." The man spat on the ground for emphasis and sent them a nasty look. "Them street rats and thieves are lower than the dirt on my shoe. Filthy scum, that's what they are."

That was the wrong thing to say. The crowd knew it and so did he. His face took on a ghostly shade of white, fear written plainly all over his face.

Cowards like this man shouldn't even exist. He was a waste of oxygen and space.

A cold fury swept through Chang'e. She formed a ring of stardust around Harith, the boy, and herself. Then, with a flick of her wrist, the circle of stardust steadily enlarged and moved towards the people.

The stampede of people rushing to get away from Chang'e's magic created chaos within the previously dead silent marketplace.

The disgusting man who had attacked the boy let out a shriek of terror and scurried away as quickly as possible.

Soon enough, the streets were empty of people. The marketplace was entirely devoid of life apart from the injured boy, Harith, Chang'e and Carrots.

Harith cautiously approached the boy and knelt down in front of him while Chang'e ran a critical eye up and down the boy's stick-thin body, checking the extent of his injuries.

Slowly so as to not scare the boy away, Harith reached out a tentative hand to touch the bruised boy on his shoulders. "Hey, it's alright now. The bad people are gone," Harith said softly to the boy, patting his left shoulder comfortingly.

The boy stilled at his touch but relaxed slightly when he realised he wasn't going to be attacked again. Careful of his injuries, Harith picked up the little boy gently and settled him snugly against his chest. He sighed when he realised just how light the boy was.

"Come on, let's get you somewhere safer. Hopefully, we can find someone to treat your injuries. Doubtful considering this whole fiasco but we should still try."

Carrots hopped from Chang'e's shoulders to the boy's knees and crawled to his uninjured side and laid there.

A small smile appeared on the boy's young features. Seeing this, Chang'e resolved to reward Carrots with a big carrot stick. Good boy, she thought happily.

…

It was no use. After defending the little boy — his name was Claude — the villagers no longer welcomed them. Every house they passed, the blinds would be drawn, the doors locked. No one wanted to be associated with them lest they be outcasted too.

"What should we do now?" Harith glanced at Chang'e questioningly. "We aren't welcome here anymore. If they weren't so afraid of us, I'm a hundred and twenty per cent sure that they would have kicked us out long ago."

Chang'e tapped her lips, pondering their current situation. "My master taught me some minor healing spells but I'm not sure if I can… execute them properly. I didn't really practice them much, you see…" she trailed off in thought.

On one hand, they could continue looking for a healer who was willing to help them — again, very unlikely but maybe a miracle would occur? On the other hand, she could try to heal the boy herself but risk performing the spell incorrectly, further injuring the boy.

"So… what now?" Harith quirked an eyebrow at the immortal. "We don't have all day. Also, as light as this boy is my arms are getting tired. Unless you want to carry him instead?" Harih snarked.

Chang'e glowered at the Leonin. "No need to get snippy with me. We're both tired and we need rest but Claude is our priority. We don't exactly have time to argue."

Harith bowed his head, ashamed by his lack of control over his emotions. "Sorry, Chang'e. It's just been a long day and the villagers really riled me up this time. I've never felt this furious before." Harith smiled apologetically at Chang'e.

Chang'e shook her head. "It's fine. I've been thinking and, well, I could only come up with two options. One, we continue looking for any village healer willing to help us. I don't mind carrying Claude either. We can even take turns to carry him." she suggested.

"Two, I try to heal him with whatever minor healing spells I learnt from my master. But there is a chance that I'll mess up and further aggravate his injuries." Chang'e groaned dejectedly, putting her hands to her face. "I don't know what to do, Harith. I doubt anyone would even help us, and I don't trust my healing magic well enough to not make things worse!"

Harith pursed his lips. Deciding they were in a safe area for the moment, he set the sleeping Claude down and stretched his sore arms. Then, he turned to face Chang'e.

The fierce look in his eyes made Chang'e let out a small involuntary 'eep!'.

Harith strode forward until only a finger's worth of space separated them. "You need to have more faith in yourself. I've seen what you can do — no, I can feel your magic and I know that you're powerful. Powerful enough to give me a run for my money. Not to brag, though," Harith sniggered at the last bit.

His expression turned serious again. "But seriously. You need to give yourself more credit. You're one of the strongest mages I know, ignoring the fact that the only mages I know are Leonin mages, but I know you can do it."

"How do you know? What if I mess up and kill him accidentally?" Chang'e gripped the edges of her dress tightly, her features set into a worried frown. She didn't dare look Harith in the eye.

Grasping Chang'e's chin gently, Harith tilted her chin up. "Hey, look at me."

Chang'e reluctantly lifted her gaze to meet his blazing brown eyes.

"Don't worry. I know you can do it. Even though I haven't known you for more than a week, not that I was counting, I have complete faith that you can do it. You can heal Claude."

Then, he grinned impishly. "And if you somehow fail, I'll just kidnap Carrots and leave you here at the mercy of these child-abusive people."

The sombre atmosphere dissipated at once. "You are such an idiot," Chang'e grumbled. "Fine! I'll try to heal him. If he dies, it's on you since you convinced me into doing this crazy thing."

Ignoring Harith's protests of how he "so wasn't stupid!", Chang'e hopped off her Crescent Moon and knelt down in front of Claude's slumbering form. She lifted his thin shirt to reveal his injuries. Taking in deep breaths to stable herself and calm her furiously beating heart, she hovered her hands over Claude's form.

Deadly concentration, steady hands. Focus on your magic; the intent to heal. Chang'e reminded herself of these steps, her master's voice echoing in her mind. Deciding to heal the more severe injury, Chang'e focused her attention on Claude's ribs.

Stardust glowed faintly on her fingertips and seeped into the bruised skin. Chang'e could feel the fractures in his ribs knitting together. It was a strange feeling. She never knew bones could be knitted together. Chang'e opened her eyes. She didn't know she had closed them.

Harith gaped at Claude's smooth and unblemished skin, free of bruises. "You — Chang'e you did it! You healed him! What can I say, I told you so," Harith beamed at Chang'e.

Chang'e stared blankly at Claude's skin. His skin... Free of bruising…

Her eyes widened. She did it! She really, really did it!

Chang'e reached forward and placed a hand on Claude's cheeks. Channeling the same feeling and her magic, she watched in amazement as the bone in Claude's cheek knitted together again and the dark bruise faded away to reveal flawless, fair skin.

A rush of happiness and delight bubbled up within her, threatening to overflow. With an ecstatic squeal, she flung herself into Harith's arms.

"I did it! I actually did it! I can't wait till big brother hears about this! Thank you, Harith!"

Letting out a 'whoop' of delight, Chang'e skipped around and twirled with joy. Seeing her exuberance, a soft smile unknowingly crept onto his face.

He never knew anyone could have such a beautiful smile.


	5. Chapter 5: The Capital

The Capital

"Alright, kiddo, listen closely." Chang'e folded her arms and regarded Claude with a serious look. "I don't want to see you get hurt again. If you need to steal, at least make sure that you don't get caught. I don't think any of us, let alone you, would like a repeat of what had happened yesterday. It wasn't fun getting beat up by those horrible people, right?"

Claude shook his head furiously. "No, miss. Thank you for saving me, miss and mister! And for healing me and giving me this delicious bread! I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused!" The messy-haired child bowed in gratitude. "I hope you have a good trip! See you next time!" He grinned toothily at them, giving them a small goodbye wave.

Carrots rubbed his head against Claude's cheeks as a farewell before leaping into Chang'e's outstretched arms.

"Thanks, kid. Take good care of yourself too. Don't get into any trouble you can't get yourself out of," Harith warned. Claude nodded his head in understanding. He definitely wouldn't be doing anything carelessly. He couldn't afford to.

Claude flinched, remembering the hot flash of pain when the bad man kicked him in the ribs, and the dark spots that danced across his vision when he was struck across the face, leaving him disoriented and his ears ringing.

Yeah, definitely not. Never again. Claude resolved to be stealthier and faster. His mind raced with the possibilities of what he could do to train himself to be a better thief.

Chang'e reached out a hand and poked his cheeks, startling him out of his thoughts. After a beat, she pulled away and said, "sorry, sorry. You just looked so adorable there that I couldn't resist."

Harith chuckled softly. "Chang'e, we need to go. We've dallied long enough."

With one last wave, they left the village.

…

The towering gates in the near distance was what Chang'e first saw. Familiar-looking gates of brass alerted her that they were reaching the capital. A rush of excitement filled her. Turning her head to glance at Harith, she saw him already facing her, the exact same excited look on his face. She was sure that they both looked like little children receiving their Christmas gifts early.

They wordlessly exchanged looks. With a burst of speed, Harith and Chang'e Sprinted towards the capital's gates.

Within minutes, they found themselves standing in front of the tall and looming brass gates of the capital.

"Halt! State your business here or you may not enter." The two guards at the gate said in unison, their movements synchronised to block their way.

Chang'e cleared her throat. "I am Chang'e, disciple to the Great Dragon and the Moon Palace immortal." She said this confidently and authoritatively. "I am here to… I'm — I'm returning home," she faltered slightly while stating her reason.

The guards turned to Harith, silently asking for his reasons for coming to the Land of Dawn's capital.

"I'm here to join the army. I want to use my magical prowess to aid the Land of Dawn in battles."

A pause.

One of the guards made a hand gesture. A moment later, the gates swung open, blowing sand around.

When the sand finally cleared, it was as if they had landed in a whole new world.

The atmosphere of the capital was completely different from the other small villages they had visited. The most glaring difference was the population. The streets were bustling with beings of all races; there were animals, Leonins, humans, Moon Elves, hybrids, and many more that couldn't be named.

Furthermore, the buildings were a lot taller and made of rarer and more expensive materials. Harith's eyes were darting around, drinking in the sight of so many beings in one city and the tall glass buildings and marble buildings reflecting the light from the setting sun. He could hardly believe he was finally at the capital.

"C'mon Harith, me and Carrots are gonna show you around! Oh, I can't wait for you to try my favourite food stall! They've got the best meat dumplings you'll ever eat!" Chang'e tugged at Harith's sleeves eagerly, pulling him along with her.

The three of them explored the capital, walking past many stalls getting ready for the night market. While walking, Chang'e also helpfully pointed out the different buildings.

"Over there is the biggest library in the Moniyan Empire," Chang'e points at a five-story building covered in glass panes with the large words 'Library of Dawn' written in bold across the glass. "It contains nearly every book to have ever been written in history."

As Chang'e continued to chatter on enthusiastically, Harith pondered about his next step. Now that he was in the capital, he first needed to enlist into the human army. He was quite sure that there is a physical and magical test to be completed in order to be accepted into the army. Now that he thought about it…

"Chang'e." Harith interrupts Chang'e explaining about the architecture of the Church of Dawn mid-sentence.

She stops. "Uh — yes?" she turns to him questioningly.

"Where is the military base located? Like — could you point me to the direction?"

Chang'e's mouth formed into an 'O', realisation dawning upon her. "Right! I forgot all about that! It's to the west from where we are now. If you just follow the path of the lamp posts, you'll see it. You can't miss it."

Harith nods in understanding. "I see. Thanks."

They walked in silence for a while. Just as Harith opened his mouth to speak, a figure stumbled into him.

The startled young woman dropped her basket of fruits onto the ground, apples and oranges rolling out. She hurriedly stuffed the fruit back into the basket and stood up, brushing dirt off her white robes.

"I'm terribly sorry for bumping into you," she apologised frantically. "I did not injure you, did I? I should have been more careful. I'm very sorry — My Lady?" The young woman covered her mouth in surprise, staring at Chang'e as if she had grown another head. "Is it really you?"

Chang'e brightened upon recognising the woman. "Meilin! I didn't expect to see you!"

The two leaned in to hug each other. "I missed you, Meilin." Chang'e says into Meilin's dress, her voice muffled.

"I missed you too, My Lady." Then, as if remembering herself again, Meilin gasped out. "Oh dear, My Lady! What are you doing here? Not that it isn't lovely to see you so well, of course, but the Great Dragon is going to blow a fuse if he sees you! Especially since young master Zilong is not accompanying you but this young Leonin is."

Chang'e rolled her eyes. "The old man can shove a carrot up his — mmpf!" Chang'e glared at Carrots, peeling away the paw that had slapped her mouth.

Meilin narrowed her eyes disapprovingly at her. "My Lady! That is no way to speak of your master," she admonished.

Chang'e sighed. "Alright, you win. Also, this 'young Leonin' here is Harith, my friend," she placed heavy emphasis on the 'friend'. "He also saved me from certain death," she continued.

Hearing this new piece of information, Meilin saw Harith in a new light. "Thank you so much for saving the little mistress! How could we ever repay you? We must speak to the Great Dragon at once!"

Harith held out a hand to silence the young woman. "You don't have to repay me. I was just doing what I was supposed to."

Meilin clucked her tongue at him, saying, "Tsk, you are too modest. Alright then, but if you need anything, remember that the Moon Palace is in your debt."

Harith nodded. Turning to Chang'e, he told her, "I should be going now. I'm going to enlist in the army so you can go meet your master or whatever. I'll catch you later, okay?"

Shooting one last grin and a wave at Chang'e and Carrots, Harith left in the direction of the military base.

Only after Harith had disappeared from view did Chang'e spin around to walk in the opposite direction, towards the east where the Moon Palace is located. "Let's go, Meilin."

"Pardon me, My Lady, but where exactly are we going?"

Chang'e smiled mischievously at her handmaiden. "Why, we're going to the Moon Palace, of course!"

"But — My Lady, you musn't!" Meilin protested. "The master will be greatly displeased, even if he misses you," she fretted.

Chang'e waved away her worries, saying cheerfully, "Don't worry, Meilin! He may look very fierce and intimidating, but he's actually just a big, old softie. We'll be fine!"

Ignoring Meilin's protests, she continued to fly towards the palace.

…

Harith sped through the strategy-based exam. There were a total of twenty questions in total, testing an individual's critical analysis skills. Harith guessed that the three tests were also to sort the soldiers into their speciality within the army. To him, the questions were relatively simple.

The library in the Enchanted Forest had many books on tactical strategies which he devoured voraciously. It was easy to compare the advantages and disadvantages of a Vic formation and a close order formation.

So, in just ten minutes, Harith completed the strategy exam. Next came the physical exam.

The physical exam consisted of three parts testing different skills: stamina, strength and agility. For stamina, recruits had to run three kilometers within 17 minutes or better.

For strength, a punching bag is set up and recruits were to punch and kick the bag to attain their strength score. Each recruit had a maximum of three tries and the passing score was 500 while the maximum was 1200.

A mini obstacle course is set up for the agility test. A flag is placed at the end of the course and multiple paintball machines lining the sides of the course are coded to shoot paintballs across. The goal was to retrieve the flag back to the starting line within twenty seconds and a maximum of ten paintball hits. Any more would be a fail.

Harith ran a distance of three kilometers in 14.15 minutes, which is a B for his stamina test. Then, for the strength test, he scored a dismal 529 out of 1000. Disappointing, but Harith couldn't say it was wrong.

The agility test was the easiest for him. With his small stature and quick reflexes, he retrieved the flag and sped back to the start line in ten seconds exactly, with only one paintball managing to hit him.

In total, he attained B for stamina, C for strength, A for agility, making his physical exam score a B.

Then the easy part came. The magic exam.

The only thing he really needed to do was convert his mana into magic and channel it into this magic orb that shows the amount of magic power he has. The examiner's eyes bugged out of his head when he saw Harith's score of 4873, the highest he had ever seen. The average score was around 2400.

Harith was given an A for the magic exam immediately.

After calculating all the scores for the three exams, Harith scored an overall A. He had passed the exam.

At long last… he was finally a soldier. He could finally put his magical prowess to good use on the battlefield, destroying all evil that stood in his way. Harith let the feeling of satisfaction wash over him, savouring it.

A moment later, he exhaled. "Right. Let's get down to business."

Arriving at the large double doors labelled 'Training Room', Harith pushed open the doors and walked in. He soon discovered that 'hall' would probably be a better word for it judging by its size.

The training room-hall had many other individual rooms designed to cater to different aspects of training. There were rooms for target practice with different weapons, rooms for agility practice, rooms for magic.

Harith stepped into one of the facilities that centred on training a soldier's magical abilities. Harith found it quite amusing. A training room in a training room-hall.

Since this was the human army, the facilities for magic were very limited, and there were no trainers for magic currently available. Not very surprising, considering that it was rare for a soldier in the human army to able to use magic. Hence, he was his own teacher in magic.

Which was fine, since he had been teaching himself magic since he was young. The magic academy back home was practically useless, only teaching the basics of using magic such as learning how to channel their mana and turn it into actual and tangible magic forms.

Immediately after he closed the glass door, dummy targets popped up. They were still and unmoving. 'Level one,' Harith thought, aiming at the crosses littered on various parts of the dummies. Then, he let his magic fly, piercing the crosses. This exercise was to test his control over his magic; to fine-tune it to do his bidding.

Then, the dummies began to move. This was level two. This time, Harith decided to use his skill 'Synchro Fission'. Two magical phantoms of himself appeared and charged towards each other, creating an explosion of magic which disintegrated the dummy that had been caught in the centre of the explosion.

This continued on, the dummies evolving as time passes by and Harith demolishes all the dummies for that level. Eventually, the level increased to a point where the dummies themselves were magical.

They shot out simple spells at Harith designed to 'poke' him but not injure him. This level served to train his dodging skills, his ability to keep a clear-headed mind while being attacked and his ability to attack the 'enemy' while avoiding being hit himself.

Harith was so focused on his training that he did not realise someone had been observing him through the glass door.

Breathing harshly, Harith sucked in gulps of air, trying to catch his breath after the gruelling training session of non-stop dodging and rapidly firing magic at the dummies with laser-sharp focus. With sweat dripping down his forehead, Harith stepped out of the training room.

Only to be taken aback by a hulking figure blocking his way.

A man with dark brown tresses and deep-set stress lines on his face stared down at Harith. With his tall and muscular figure and his heavy-looking armor, the man made out to be quite the imposing figure.

The unknown man studied Harith silently, neither his facial features nor his eyes giving away any inkling of what he was thinking.

Then, he broke out into a smile. The tension between them dissolved. "Evening, soldier. You must be the new recruit the high ranking officers were gossiping about, right? That Leonin boy that set the best records in the army in the magic and strategy exam, though only scored slightly above average in the physical exam."

Harith gave a slow nod, unsure of the man's intentions in approaching him. He didn't know what to make of the man boldly admitting that his superiors 'gossip' either.

"You must be wondering who I am! Well, my name is Tigreal, Captain of the Imperial Capital's Mosennia Captain of Knights. And, well, I couldn't help but notice you when I came into the training hall. For someone so small, you sure pack a punch!" Tigreal boomed.

Harith winced at Tigreal's loud voice, his cat-like ears twitching in irritation. Not only was his armor and size loud and conspicuous, his voice was too, apparently.

"Indoor voice please," Harith pleaded. Tigreal scratched his head sheepishly.

"My bad!" He says this a tad softer. It was not much of an improvement, but it was an improvement nonetheless. Harith would take that.

"Hey little guy—" Tigreal began.

"Harith," the Leonin corrected.

"Right, Harith," Tigreal amended. "I can see you've exhausted your energy for the day. How about we break for dinner and then return to the bunks?"

Harith agreed without hesitation. He was too tired to continue training. His arms and legs felt like lead and his mana pools were nearly empty. There was nothing else he could do.

As much as he wanted to continue to train, he knew his limits and he was sure he would drop unconscious if he did. Something he absolutely did not want to happen.

Heading to the cafeteria, the two made small talk, telling each other their goals for the future or anything under the weather.

Noting Harith's lidded eyes and slow movements, Tigreal prodded him with questions about his personal life and his reasons for joining the Imperial Troops to keep him from falling asleep.

After dinner, Tigreal ushered Harith to his bunk. The door to his room clicked shut, and Tigreal walked towards his own personal room. Both Harith and him had their own rooms, but for different reasons.

Tigreal because of his position, and Harith because of control. Or lack of control, to put it more aptly. The higher rank officers were wary of Harith's strength and magical abilities and they knew they had little control over him.

Yet, they could not turn him away as the army needed all the help they could get, especially since there was talk of orc tribes planning an invasion on the Land of Dawn.

Tigreal would say that he had purely innocent intentions in approaching the new recruit but that would be a half-lie. Yes, he was indeed curious about the Leonin.

The old generals had been discussing about him the whole day and it was grating on him. So, when he had caught sight of him in the training room, he approached him out of curiosity.

But Tigreal had another reason too. He wanted to see for himself and gauge whether the boy was trustworthy or not. So far he did not not seem to have any ill-intentions, nor does he suffer from any delusions of grandeur.

Tigreal should add that to the list of 'Harith's pros and cons'. On the pros side: not a megalomaniac. Cons: still a tiny kid. Still fifteen, he was told, but his build seemed to be too small for his age.

Then again, Leonins are supposed to be small and lithe so that should be a normal size for him.

Humming a jaunty tune, Tigreal decides to turn in for the night. He resolves to wake up at the crack of dawn the next day to continue his own training. Tomorrow, Tigreal thinks decisively, will be strength and stamina training.

...

Chang'e breathed in. Then she breathed out. She placed a hand over her chest, trying to calm down her rapidly beating heart. As she stood outside the gates of the Moon Palace with Meilin in tow, she felt equally excited and anxious.

What if her master was so displeased and angry with her, that he throws her out with his own hands this time? Even worse, what if he forbids her from coming back ever again, and refuses to be her master anymore?

Chang'e was having second thoughts. Whatever confidence she had before had disappeared along with her cool, collected thoughts.

Now, she was a nervous wreck, taking a step forward then back, unsure of whether she should walk through the gates or just leave altogether. Then, a warm and comforting hand wrapped reassuringly around her hand that was clenching her dress.

Chang'e glanced up.

Meilin quirked an encouraging smile at her and said, "Where did all that bravado go, huh? You've known the master for nine years, you know how he'll react."

Meilin paused, then said, "Well, the master can be quite unpredictable but you're already outside the gate so you might as well go in." She shrugged her shoulders in a 'what can I do?' way.

Carrots pawed at Chang'e and gave her a look. Chang'e huffed. "Fine. I'll just wing it."

She bit her lip and stared resolutely at the gates. Then, with determined movements, she pushed open the gates.

The gates creaked open, revealing the front garden of the palace. Several guards were stationed around the palace and they gave a shout seeing Chang'e. One of them rushed off, probably to alert the Great Dragon of Chang'e's arrival.

"My Lady, you have come home! The Great Dragon and his son Zilong awaits you," one of the guards gave a salute.

Hearing this, Chang'e gaped in disbelief. Did he just say… big brother was waiting for her? After months of travelling around the Land of Dawn, almost becoming a werewolf's dinner, dealing with a village full of child-abusers and a poor malnourished child, her big brother was home all along?!

As if feeling her young mistress' rising temper, Meilin took a step back and excused herself, stating that she had matters to attend to.

Anger and annoyance boiled in her. Chang'e bit out, "Take me to Zilong."

Seeing the blue sparks of magic jumping around her, the guard gulped and hurriedly led the vexed immortal and her rabbit to the main hall where the Great Dragon and his son were waiting.

The doors to the main hall slammed open and Chang'e floated in. Though she couldn't march in as she wanted to, she still left a trail of scorch marks created by her magic.

"Little sister! You're finally here!" Zilong crowed, leaping up from his seat and rushing forward to greet Chang'e. The Great Dragon, on the other hand, rose from his seat gracefully and walked with composed steps towards his disciple.

Chang'e narrowed her eyes at Zilong. "You—" she began. She wanted to give him a piece of her mind for making her go on a wild goose chase looking for him. She wanted to. But she couldn't find it in herself to do that.

Seeing her brother's glowing face, she felt her previous fury toning down to a simmer. But she wasn't going to let him off so easily.

When Zilong came flying towards her, hoping to tackle her into a hug, Chang'e ducked off her Crescent Moon, causing her brother to meet the ground instead of her. It was only his fast reflexes that prevented his face from kissing the floor; he fell gently into a roll before standing up.

"Hey! Why did you do that!" Zilong complained.

Chang'e turned her nose up and said, "You deserved that. You made me go all over the place looking for you, and instead you were here the entire time enjoying yourself." Chang'e shot him the nastiest look she could.

"S-sorry lil' sister." Zilong apologised. "But I'm here now, and that's all that matters, right?" He shot her a winning smile.

Chang'e gave him a blank look. "Where were you anyway?"

"Um… I was actually on military leave for the past month, so you didn't miss me much."

The Great Dragon cleared his throat.

"I am glad you are well, Chang'e." The Great Dragon says this gruffly.

He hesitated for a second before wrapping his arms around Chang'e in a tight hug. Then, he pulled away with an awkward cough.

A squawk echoed through the hall. A messenger hawk flew into through the balcony to land on Zilong's outstretched arm. Zilong unclipped a scroll from the bird's legs. A puzzled expression crossed his face as he unfurled the scroll. Reading the scroll, his face gradually morphed into a grim expression.

"The orc tribes are invading the Land of Dawn."

…

"Captain!" Tigreal looks up to the face of two soldiers, one sporting a rather greenish hue.

"Our scouts have been attacked. Hundred of orcs are marching towards the borders of the Land of Dawn as of now. ETA is half an hour at best. Sir, what's your command?"

A grave look on his face, Tigreal ordered, "Gather the troops. We must prepare for war."

**A/N: **Last chapter I will update for a while... Come back next year after my exams lol. Cya.


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